SPRINGFIELD — Messengers representing churches affiliated with the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) will gather Oct. 26-28 at the Springfield Expo Center for their 181st annual meeting.
The theme is “Forward,” taken from Philippians 3:13-14, where the apostle Paul writes, “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
MBC Executive Director John Yeats and MBC President Neil Franks, lead pastor of First Baptist Church, Branson, address the convention during the Oct. 26 opening evening session. Robert Shelton, pastor of First Baptist Church, Plattsburg, presents the annual sermon during the Oct. 27 morning meeting.
Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd, senior pastor of Cross Church in northwest Arkansas, is the headline speaker Oct. 28.
The worship team from First Baptist Church, Branson, will lead worship the first two days. Julio Arriola, global worship pastor of Cross Church, leads worship during the Oct. 28 gathering.
During business sessions, attendees hear reports from the convention’s executive board, staff, committees and agencies. In addition, Eric Geiger, vice president of the Resources Division of LifeWay Christian Resources, and David Kinnaman, president and majority owner of the Barna Group, are featured speakers at the CORE Conference.
Through music, spoken word, and insightful and interactive teaching, CORE encourages Missouri Baptists to make disciples, according to event organizers.
Franks presides over the annual meeting. Local churches elect messengers to the convention; the messengers in turn select a new slate of officers and vote on other business matters.
All sessions are open to the public.
In addition to the reports, messengers introduce, debate and vote on motions, or actions they wish the convention’s executive board, staff, committees, or agencies to take. They also may introduce, debate, and vote on a variety of resolutions, which express the opinion of messengers on particular issues.
The annual meeting begins with pre-session music at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 26 and concludes with the benediction at noon on Oct. 28. The Missouri Baptist Pastors’ Conference also is held at the Springfield Expo Center from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 26.
Complete details are available at mobaptist.org/annualmeeting.